Elegy Chapter Eight: A Treatise on the Kilrathi Language and Kilrathi Lexicon
2680.062 FROM: LCDR Malik Santos Confederation Fleet Headquarters, Operations Division Jupiter-Sol L5 msantos@sol.navyhq TO: CDOR Erik Baudone CO, Valgard Military Prison Nav 8, Valgard System ebaudone@epsilon.military Sir: As per your request, I have completed compiling the report you requested regarding operational training of the troops assigned to your command in the use of the Kilrathi language. This report contains the most current material we have available on the topic. If you have any further questions or concerns regarding the materials contained in the attached report, please let me know as soon as possible and I will do my utmost to address them. Please bear in mind that, even though we have unprecedented access to Kilrathi cultural materials, there are still a number of matters about them that remain a mystery. Sincerely, LCDR Malik Santos Cultural and Strategic Analyst Confederation Fleet Headquarters, Operations Division Enclosure: Introduction Sounds It is difficult to accurately describe the sounds of the Kilrathi language without using complex anatomical and phonological terms. What follows, therefore, is intended to give only a guide to pronunciation. Very few non-Kilrathi speak the language without at least a hint of an accent and most stumble over minor nuances of the language. For example, most Terrans usually ignore the subtle "h" sound that appears in many Kilrathi words, though its presence or absence often varies the intended meaning of the word: kar = dark khar = shadow kahr = heart A Terran would likely pronounce all three in the exact same manner; a Kilrathi would not. This "palatial lisp", where the mid-section of the tongue comes in contact with the soft palate, is often noted by native Kilrathi speakers when listening to Terrans struggling with their language. Finally, written Kilrathi has traditionally been transliterated into a number of different writing systems based upon who has been doing the translating. For this guide, the system developed by Ches M. Penney will be utilized; the editiors of this guide are of the opinion that Capt. Penney's system of writing Kilrathi is best suited for people who already know how to read English and will result in a minimum amount of difficulty approximating the sounds of Kilrathi words and sentences. This system incorporates the following set of rules: Consonants Most consonants are pronounced as in English, with a few exceptions: *C will not appear in this dictionary, though the letter "C" has appeared in some translations of the language. "S" and "K" will appear in place of "C" as necessary in order to present the appropriate sound for the given situation. "C" will appear as part of "CH", which is always pronounced as in "chew", never as in "Bach". *G is always pronounced hard (as in "gut", never as in "gerbil"). *H is an exceptionally important sound in Kilrathi, pronounced hard but also used occasionally to add a soft "sigh" to many ideas and in the process change their meaning. An "H" appearing in the center of modifier ALWAYS indicates that the idea involved applies to a sapient being - but its absence does not necessarily imply the opposite. H appearing at the end of a modifier usually indicates that the idea is being applied to a specific thing, most often a being capable of thought or a place. *J is always pronounced hard (as in "jet", never as in German "ja"). *Q will be utilized only for overtly hard usages of the "K" sound. It never represents "qw" as is common in most English words, except in the case of qu = unless (which cannot be pronounced any other way, naturally). *W is a sound that does not occur in Kilrathi; where it appears, it represents "hu" in situations where it is important to keep the idea distinct. *X functions as the -ks sound when appearing anywhere in a word other than at the beginning; it is pronounced as a "Z" when appearing at the beginning of a word. An A preceding the X is always pronounced short. X has a special function in the Kilrathi language, that of a "corruptive concept indicator", which will be discussed later in this guide. *Y always represents the consonant sound - it never serves as a vowel. Silent consonants never occur in Kilrathi. In compounded words, repeated consonants are generally (though not always) combined into one. Where L would occur next to J, remove the L and double the J. Vowels *A represents either a short "A" sound (as in "bat") or a sound approaching short "O" (as in "caw") depending on what consonant sounds accompany it. *E is short if it is the first sound in its idea, is always representative of a long "A" sound if located at the end of a word, and always long "E" anywhere else. For example in mekh (measure of speed), the E appears at the beginning of its idea (ekh = speed), thus the word is properly pronounced like "mech", not "meek". *I, except when proceeded by A, carries a long E sound; when preceded by A, it carries the long I sound (the long E sound has occasionally been transcribed as EE in some sources; here only "I" will be presented. The AI combination is the only vowel combination allowed in the Kilrathi language. It is also the only vowel that experiences metathesis in the language, and that only when followed by Y. For example: aiy = visible / seen (pronounced "YAI") *O may either be pronounced long or short. It is most commonly pronounced long, though it is generally short if it appears at the beginning of its idea. When followed by R, it makes the OR sound as usual. *U is always pronounced long, carrying the OO sound. The short U sound does not occur in Kilrathi. As with consonants, silent vowels do not occur in Kilrathi. In situations where two vowel sounds would be combined other than A and I, it is common practice for the first vowel to be dropped and for the second one to retain its sound. Take mekh as an example: ma = this / sum / measure ekh = speed / fast mekh = ma + ekh = measure of speed A is almost always suborned by other vowels, even if it appears second. There are situations where A and I are not combined; generally these occur when an important distinction regarding possession occurs. For example: hrai = hra + ''-i'' = family (literally "my people") hri = hra + ''-i'' = people's (i.e. belonging to the people) Apostrophes Apostrophes are used in written and spoken Kilrathi for a number of things. *When needing to add a suffix or modifier that starts with a vowel to a noun or verb that ends in with a vowel. *Part of the meaning of some idea prefixes (examples tr'-, kr'-, and kn'-). Color modifiers notably always use apostrophes. Where they are present, an apostrophe always indicates the presence of a glottal stop, a short pause or catch between the two phrases. Grammatical Sketch In a brief guide such as this, it is not possible to describe Kilrathi grammar succinctly, particularly given the lack of data on a number of every day concepts; work on deciphering these concepts is ongoing. What follows then may only be considered a sketch or outline of the Kilrathi language as it is understood by Terrankind to date. Although a good many of the fine points are not covered, the sketch will allow the student of Kilrathi to muddle through what a Kilrathi may or may not be saying and respond in an intelligible, though perhaps somewhat brutish, manner. It is likely that only those Kilrathi who have spent their lives in and around the Thrak'hra class will be able to tell the difference. Nouns There are various types of nouns in Kilrathi. Simple nouns are single ideas, such as: ka = blood / spirit hu = thing Complex nouns may be made up of several ideas, much like English. For example: daig = school (a combination of da = hall + ig = to learn) brajakh = fortress / community (br'-'' = defend / protect + ''aj = plan / design + akh = water /drink/ taste) Many common use words in Kilrathi are in fact complex nouns, or began as a complex noun before being absorbed into the mainstream language. Another type of complex noun consists of a verb followed by one of three "doing" suffixes: ''-il'' = "creature that does" ''-al'' = "thing that does" ''-a'' = "being that does" Thus producing words such as: traggil = "creature that struggles with a trap" (tr'-'' = battle/struggle + ''agg = trap/snare + ''-il'' = creature that does) ratha = "a being that dominates" (rath = question / dominate + ''-a'' = being that does) fa'orc'al = "thing that marks courage" (fa = courage + orc = stand/place/mark + ''-al'' = thing that does) Adjectives and other modifiers usually, though not always, are appended as suffixes to the noun they are being used to describe. In a few cases the modifier is applied as a primary prefix (colors in particular are known to be applied as prefixes). Examples of each form include: daik = "library" (dai = house + ik = knowledge/to know) dyalrakh = "honor bearer" (dya = have / carry / bear / hold + ''-al'' = thing that does + rakh = honor) birha = "red blossom" (b'-'' = red + ''ir = plant / blossom + ''-ha'' = to be) dor = "bird" (do = flight / flying + or = animal / creature) Nouns may also be modified by a number of other suffixes, as follows: ''-ga / -gha'' = augmentative/emphatic Ga (all) may be applied to emphasize a noun that is an important concept. If applied twice (i.e. gaga), the concept is as important as it possibly can be. For example: kut = clean / pure / whole kutga = very clean / holy kutgaga = sacred Ga never occurs more than twice with any single concept. The opposite of ga is: ''-in / -ihn'' = diminuative In (small) is applied to indicate a concept that is smaller, less important or less powerful. For example: ni'runai = "My self-satisfaction'' (ni = my + ru = satisfy/satiate + nai = I/me/mine)'' ni'runihn = "My little self-indulgence'' (Ni'runai + ''-ihn'' = diminuative)'' grimalk = "Done certainly" (gri = certain/assured + (ma = this/measure + al = "thing that does") + ''-k'' = past tense marker) grimalkin = "Done less certainly" (grimalk + ''-in'' = diminuative) Like ga, in never occurs more than twice with any single concept. Both plural nouns and possessive forms of nouns may have the following suffix: ''-i'' = plural / possessive Unfortunately, there is no way of telling the difference in the usage of this suffix except via the context in which it is used. For example: rakhi = "honors" (more than one honor) rakhi = "honor's" (belong to honor) The same word means two different things; which one is correct will depend on how it is being used: ri'gath rakhiga ranai = "You have given great honors to me" ras ajjrakhi = "For honor's design" Incidentally, the second example above shows another expression of possession typically used in Kilrathi, that of a noun possessing another noun. When such a situation occurs, the two words are listed in the order of possessed-possessor. The -i suffix never occurs in this case and an "of" or "of the" between the two words is implied. For example: ras ajjrakhi = "For the design of honor" (a second, equally valid translation with the same meaning) ko'aSivar = "Sivar's servant" or "servant of Sivar" Verbs As with nouns, Kilrathi verbs can take both pronoun prefixes and suffixes; both can exist simultaneously and it is conceivable for an entire sentence to be rendered as a single word, with the subject prefixed to the verb and the object applied as a suffix. For example: ni'dyagai = "I bear it" (nai = I/me/mine + dya = convey/ferry + gai = he/she/it) Note in this case, where the subject of the sentence is combined with the action, the possessive form of the prounoun is utilized. Notions of volition or predisposition usually preceed a verb, and may either be separate from the verb itself or combined to form a single idea. For example: h'asgathnai = "will give me" (h'as = will/shall + gath = give/grant/allow + nai = "I/me/mine") Pronouns The Kilrathi language utilizes the following set of pronouns: There is no grammatical gender in Kilrathi; third-person singular pronouns may be translated based on the context of the sentence. Pronouns may be used as nouns for emphasis or added clarity, but they are by no means required; indeed, given the imperative nature of the language, pronouns as subjects are encountered very rarely. Pronouns can be affixed to other words as a primary prefix, thus indicating ownership. For example: ek'lakh = our ancestors ri'rakh = your honor It is more common to see the prefix form utilized than the separate possessive form; usually the separate possessive form occurs in archaic forms of the language. For example: Kir'kha n'ikh rakh k'har, Sharhi nar Hhallas = "I, Sharhi of Hhallas, swear to avenge my honor". This sentence also serves as an example of a missing pronoun ("I") in the subject of the sentence. Vowels may also be dropped from the possessive prefix form, as in: n'hakh ri'kahri = "destruction" (literally "I must taste your hearts") Finally, pronouns can be used as possessives in their own right: Mas nai'ha = "That is mine." Numbers The use of base-eight mathematics is a well-known aspect of Kilrathi culture and society. Lately there has been an effort by a few groups of remaining Kilrathi to convert over to base-ten mathematics (as a means of better understanding Terran culture), but for the most part, Kilrathi are well content to continue to utilize a system that has worked extremely well for them for milennia. Kilrathi numbers are as follows: †Eight is rendered in some sources as "oc"; it is frequently mispronounced by Terrans as something close to "AWK" as a result (the proper pronunciation is closer to "OAK") For zero, Kilrathi use kn'-'' ("void / nothing") The series for the numbers nine through sixteen is unique, as follows: The unique forms ''nove, du and especially du'de are believed to be cultural in origin, with du'de functioning much as the number thirteen in Terran circles (i.e. as a number indicating bad fortune). Higher numbers are formed by adding base set of numbers as a prefix to the eight-number form. Thus: unideok = seventeen (one and two eights, 21) dedeok = eighteen (two and two eights, 22) treok = twenty-four (three eights, 30) kesok = thirty-two (four eights, 40) And so forth. Likewise, the same goes for the ordinal set - unidezo'ar = seventeenth dedezo'ar = eighteenth trezo'ar = twenty-fourth keszo'ar = thirty-second And so forth. Numbers of higher orders of magnitude use the following set of suffixes: †Again, it is not uncommon to see ok rendered as oc in many sources - in particular, octo is used heavily (as opposed to okto) in most Terran renderings. It is not known if the Kilrathi have larger number sets or not. Infinity is rendered simply as ga (all). Numbers are generally used as nouns, though they may also serve as a modifier to other nouns. When used as a modifier, they serve as a prefix - thus words like: zarmak = "sixty-fourth measure of distance" oktogramma = "thousand weight measures" Fractions in Kilrathi are generally spoken literally, with the cardinal form of the numerator spoken prior to the ordinal form of the denominator - thus the following examples: uni'dar = "one seconds" tre'k'ar = "three fourths" Where the number "one" is the numerator, the un is sometimes dropped, resulting in the following special forms: idar = "half" itar = "third" ikar = "quarter" Finally, for octal renderings (i.e. decimals), the word in is utilized in a manner similar to the word "point" in English; this is always done independently. For example: nove'okko in detreok = "seventy-three point twenty-six" (this translation accounts for the base-8/base-10 difference) Adding du ("again") as a suffix to a cardinal number gives the notion of repetitions: unidu = "once" tredu = "thrice" du'dedu = "twelve times" Du may be added to these repetition indicators to indicate its normal function as "again", though it is always a separated concept in that case: unidu'du = "once again" Conjunctions *and = maks *but = qu *or = ??? *if = desh Adjectives and Adverbials There are no articles (a, an, the) in Kilrathi *s = adjective/adverb marker (-ish, -ic, -y - ly) *k = past tense marker future tense usually uses ha', h'as' or h'in' (must, will and may, espectively) as a prefix to a verb. (Prefix modifiers may be applied to "a" to become words in their own right). Exclamations These expressions stand as sentences in their own right: hagai = "yes" (declarative affirmative, literally "It must") va = "not/no" (declarative negative) ek'nis = "Let's go!" (literally "we go") nis'ekga = "Hurry up!" (literally "go much speed") h'asni = "I will" h'asnav = "I refuse" (literally "I will not") ki = "Good" (used as an expression of praise/satifaction) kithrak = "Excellent" (used as an expression of intense satifaction) aki = Well done! (endorsement of an achievement, a clipping of ri'aki = "You have done well"). hi'i = Hello (expression of greeting) walhi = Greetings. (literally "greeting of a thing that does a thing"; usually used when important information is forthcoming.) niski = "Farewell." (expression of departure; literally "good go") gatak = "Done!" (expression of completion of a task) aj'k = "Ready!" (a clipping of ni'ha krikajjk, an expression of a state of preparation) nayi = "So!" (expression of understanding, realization, invention or recognition - literally "I see"). Curse words phrases are also included as exclamatory expressions in their own right. Known Kilrathi examples are: har = "shit/feces" j'ak = "piss" (literally "yellow water" - also the source of the epithet jaka'in = "little pisser") vrax = "fuck" vraxar = "fuck me" (literally "fuck my penis"; ar is a shortened form of paktar = "penis") aviar = "cunt" (a clipped form of kilaviar, which literally translated as "female's first") lashki = "cunt" (a clipped form of lanshiki, which literally translates as "good hole") ar barayu'a = "cocksucker" (literally "penis sucker", with the shortened form of paktar once again) vraxa'nah = "mother fucker" vih'ks = "tits/breasts" (a clipped form of kilavih'ks, literally "female's six") yansh = "asshole" (a clipping of k'yulanshi, literally "hole of rump") sharvath = "don't eat my foe's cock" (literally "(penis) of enemy no kill for food") kass'richak = "quit jacking off" (literally "bloody + you + striking" = "you're striking yourself bloody") Annoyance and anger is commonly expressed via snarling, with the volume and length of the snarl proportional to the degree of annoyance. Names and Address Syntax Lexicon Tables Phrases: Krajksh nai variksh h'hassrai? = "Why have you broken radio silence"? Ja'lra rash'nakh h'rai? = "Why do you wish the demise of your people"? Krakh drish’kai rai h’ra = "Stay where you are." (lit. "Dishonorably freeze (your) bloods, you shit persons") Common Taunts: